The Sun, the massive object that dominates the solar system and helps to support life on Earth, is also the driver of physical processes in the space environment between the Sun and the Earth, known as space weather. The practical importance of space weather is to mitigate its adverse effects on critical human technological systems, including satellites (including payloads and astronauts), communications, navigations, power grids, etc. This course is focused on the fundamentals as well as the recent progress in solar physics, to prepare graduate students for space research in general. It presents the basic physical processes governing the formation of the solar interior and atmosphere, the solar magnetic field and configuration, the physical bases of solar activities (e.g., flares, filament/prominence, and coronal mass ejections), and their effects on our human society, as well as its relation to other stars.
This introductory course is intended for graduate students and upper-level undergraduate students with an academic background in physics/astrophysics. This course spans 36 class hours and merits 2 credits.